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Engineering design problems are most frequently charac-terized by constraints that make them hard to solve and time-consuming. When evolutionary algorithms are used to solve these problems, constraints are often handled with the generic weighted sum method or with techniques specific to the prob-lem at hand. Most commonly, all constraints are evaluated at each generation, and it is also necessary
We have experimented with proprioception in a bio-inspired self-organizing haptic system. To this end a 12 d.o.f. anthropomorphic robot hand with proprioceptive sensors was developed. The system uses a self-organizing map for the mapping of the explored objects. In our experiments the system was trained and tested with 10 different objects of different sizes from two different shape categories. To
A limited Round Robin test has been carried out with different types of foot models. Eight laboratories carried out the tests. The foot models varied in sizes from 254 to 275 mm, representing boot sizes from 41 to 44. Tests with both a bare foot and sock were carried out at about +20 °C and 50% RH. The boots, a thin rubber and a winter boot, were tested at about +5 °C and 85% RH. The conditioning
A novel approach to the control of a GDI engine is presented.Conventional control of car engines is normally based on extensive use of engine maps, i.e., matrix-based lookup tables that have been derived through extensive engine test bench experiments. This is an open loop approach which can be sensitive to engine-to-engine variations and variations due to aging and wear. In this paper it is shown
Bolivia is located in the central part of South America and has a large varied ecology - the Amazonas rainforests, the dry forests of the Chaco, the mist forests, the punas and high Andean vegetation. Plants that live in the Bolivia highlands have developed physical and chemicals defense mechanisms to survive in the hard environment of the region. Descriptions of the main stressors in the region a
The mechanical stress build up in fibre handling, the dynamical frictional phenomena between fibres and curves surfaces and formation of dust have been studied. Typical are stick slip behaviour and threshold stress levels for formation of dust. The emissions of dust can be limited by electrostatic charging. The measured coefficients of friction of the fibres depend on the mechanical properties, mi
A new explicit WET model for the turbulent heat fluxes is derived and developed from the transport equation of the scalar passive flux. In order to study the performance of the model itself, all other turbulent quantities are taken from a DNS channel flow data-base and thus the error source has been minimized. This anisotropic eddy diffusivity model can be solved with a two-equation model for the
The thesis is focused on two major subjects: - Calculation of free energy is of great help in the study of any molecular system. The free energy determines phase behaviour of colloids and polymer solutions. It also controls the conformational properties of single macromolecules, e.g. DNA, proteins, copolymers. One of the most robust computer simulation techniques for free energy estimation is an
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals are well known environmental pollutants. Even though numerous studies have been carried out to assess human exposures to these compounds, there is still a lack of data on humans from developing countries, especially in underprivileged children. The objective of this study was to assess the exposure to POPs and heavy metals in children from Dhak
Digital image correlation (DIC) can measure full-field surface strains during mechanical testing of hard and soft tissues. When compared to traditional methods, such as strain gauges, DIC offers larger validation data (similar to 50,000 points) for, e.g., finite element models. Our main aim was to evaluate the repeatability of surface strain measurements with DIC during compressive testing of comp
Survival after childhood cancer has improved substantially over recent decades. Although cancer in childhood is rare increasingly effective treatments have led to a growing number of long-term survivors. It is estimated that there are between 300,000 and 500,000 childhood cancer survivors in Europe. Such good survival prospects raise important questions relating to late effects of treatment for ca
Hunting with firearms decimates primates of large and medium body size (> 2 kg) that disperse the seeds of large-seeded trees. In continuous, un-fragmented forests of southeastern Peru regularly hunted with firearms for 30-40 years, large primates are extirpated and medium-sized (medium) primates are reduced 61% compared with protected forests. At hunted sites seedlings and small juveniles (< 1 m
Mutations that cause a block in a late step of the protoheme IX biosynthetic pathway, i.e., in a step after uroporphyrinogen III, map at 94 degrees on the Bacillus subtilis chromosomal genetic map. We have cloned and sequenced the hem genes at this location. The sequenced region contains six open reading frames: ponA, hemE, hemH, hemY, ORFA, and ORFB. The ponA gene product shows over 30% sequence
Ion exchange media involving charge groups attached to flexible polymers are widely used for protein purification. Such media often provide enhanced target protein purity and yield. Yet, little is understood about protein interaction with such media at the molecular level, or how different media architectures might affect separation performance. To gain a better understanding of such adsorptive sy
The organic fraction of atmospheric aerosols contains a multitude of compounds and usually only a small fraction can be identified and quantified. However, a limited number of representative organic compounds can be used to describe the water-soluble organic fraction. In this work, initiated within the EU 5FP project SMOCC, four mixtures containing various amounts of inorganic salts (ammonium sulf
Application of cellulolytic enzymes for upgrading of secondary fibers has extensively been studied during the last decades. In many cases, research has been carried out with industrial enzyme preparations which often consist of several enzyme components. The presence of various enzymes makes the determination of the role of each of them difficult in changes of pulp and paper properties. Therefore,
Degradation of the dry semiarid ecosystems in the Mu Us Sandy Land of north central China was explored using high-resolution satellite images from 1978, 1987 and 1996. This study monitored both changes in grassland biomass production and reclamation activities to detect the nature and scale of land degradation since major economic reforms were introduced in 1978. The position of the high-resolutio
This study was performed in organ baths on 400 ring segments of infrarenal aorta taken from 40 Sprague-Dawley rats that had been randomized into five groups. Contractility was tested with the thromboxane analogue U-46619. Acetylcholine was used to elicit endothelium-dependent relaxing factor (EDRF). The results obtained from vessels preserved at 4 degrees C for 6, 12, 24, and 36 hours were compare
